Productivity is quite the buzzword amongst those in business. Business owners, whether small or large, can find attaining a good level of productivity for themselves pretty tough, and pushing productivity onto your workforce can be difficult too. However, it’s certainly something to strive for. Like Tim Ferris said, “focus on being productive instead of busy”. Once you’ve gotten into good habits productivity will flow naturally. Here are some tips to help change your mindset. 

It’s Not Always About Discipline

When you’re looking to instil good productivity practices in your workforce, going down the discipline route isn’t always the wisest. Focus on their work habits and how you can help them exceed. Instead of demanding more, stopping people from talking, clamping down on break time etc., you should be helping them feel relaxed, calm and ready.

There’s a reason so many studies have been done into the four-day working week, and why many businesses are starting to adopt it. Flexibility breeds productivity.

Kill The Accountancy Time Suck

If there are tasks that suck huge amounts of time from your employees then you should look for software that can cut this time down. Then they can spend more time in your business being more productive. Accountancy is the prime example here. 

Calculations and numbers take a while to crunch and work out. The software can make this faster. Sure, it’ll cost you money but think of the return on investment you’ll get for it. There are some really niche and complex areas of accountancy that might be better being outsourced. 

Think of areas like leasehold improvements or embedded leases. Maybe you deal in different countries meaning you need to account internationally. Taxation is also extremely complex and you might be better off looking at tax filing software. 

Accountancy will inevitably drain your time or the time of your employees. If you can cut this down they’ll be able to focus on work and be far more productive.

Raise Capital

Money undoubtedly allows you to do more. If you can raise some capital you can use it to hire some employees or put it towards training them. Productivity sometimes can’t be refined any further and you just need to hire someone to really make that key difference. You can raise capital using investment from friends and family using a promissory note or even look at local incubators or banks. There are multiple ways to raise capital, you just need to find a way that is good for you and your business. Sometimes it’s the best way to put power into productivity. 

Training And Confidence Go Hand In Hand

If there’s the possibility to further train those who work for you, you should take it. It means tasks won’t take as long as proficiency rises, and they become more productive as a result. See if there are external agencies who can train your workforce…or, if you have the expertise, take the time to train them yourself. 

Consider taking them on an away day, or simply making some time available for them to train. A lot of businesses nowadays have personal budgets allocated to each individual which they can use to learn more about their subject matter.

As they train, confidence will rise and they’ll tackle tasks and work items far more efficiently. Their productivity will increase and your business will reap the rewards. Investing in your workforce is a surefire way to take your business to new heights.

Don’t Forget Those Business Events

Sometimes, in the pursuit of productivity, it’s really easy to decide to not go to important business events and tradeshows. You might think that current work is important or that going to these kinds of events aren’t useful. However, they’re certainly a productive way to spend your time, especially if you have a larger team. There are multiple photo opportunities and ways to network with other businesses and even potential clients. Make sure you make the most out of the opportunity with an event photographer to capture your business’s success and branding. You can use the photos as handouts, in your proposals, or as social media tools. 

Finishing Thoughts…

Each business might approach productivity in a different way or with a different attitude. But remember, it’s not that you and your workforce need to do more, but rather you need to focus on less. 

It’s all about streamlining and becoming confident in each segment of work. The less you focus on, the more you excel at.